Stepping into Candela’s Pizzeria and Ristorante, nestled in the Eldridge Park neighborhood, is like stepping into your grandmother’s house.
The wallpaper has not changed since 1984, but that only adds to the charm of the establishment, as Pete and Frank Candela pride themselves on continuing their parents’ legacy of sharing “his love for cooking and hospitality” with their customers.
Frank Candela is the pizza guy, and the front of the house host. His brother, Pete Candela, is the head chef and in charge of the back of the house. It is a recipe that works well for them.
Pete and Frank Candela’s parents, Vito and Rosaline Candela, bought the restaurant in 1968, a year after Frank was born.
“We’ve been running it non-stop since,” Frank Candela said. “We are the oldest family-run pizza place and Italian restaurant in Mercer County that has not changed locations.”
Frank and Pete Candela took over the business more than 20 years ago. They employ local neighborhood kids, friends of the family, and families of their friends. They hire Lawrence High School, Notre Dame High School and Rider University students.
“When you come into the original Candela’s, you are greeted with a smile,” Frank Candela said. “You take a seat. You don’t have to wait to be seated. We take your drink and appetizer order. Most of our waitresses know our regulars and greet them with their drinks in hand.”
The longevity of the Candela’s staff is one of the keys to the restaurant’s success. Most of the staff has been with Candela’s for more than five years. The kitchen staff includes Chef Jorge, Allerio, and Adrian. Chef Jorge is the head chef along with Pete Candela.
“They are both in the kitchen dreaming up new dishes,” Frank Candela said.
“It is a lot easier to keep them and not have a rotating staff; otherwise the quality of the food goes down.”
The wait staff includes Cassie T. and Corinne, who have been with Candela’s for 10 and 9 years, respectively. Amanda, Kristine, Hannah, Chloe, Kelly, Esha, Sofia, Cassie K., and Nicole round out the wait staff.
“The girls are a big part of Candela’s,” Frank Candela said. “Almost everyone that comes in they are very familiar with.”
Candela’s is a BYOB restaurant, where it is not uncommon to see friends and families walk in with bottles of wine and spend the rest of the evening hanging out together.
Candela’s has remained true to its roots of serving the same good quality food started by their parents.
“If I wouldn’t eat it, I couldn’t send it out to the dining room,” Frank Candela said.
Every morning, the brothers shop at local vendors for produce, veal and chicken; all the food is picked up fresh daily. Pizza dough is also made fresh daily. In the summer, their father, Vito Candela, grows tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers in the garden by the restaurant. One major change to their menu is the option to have a gluten-free pizza.
The menu also includes homemade lasagna, chicken, veal, and seafood dishes.
“Our dishes are very basic,” Frank Candela said. “We are not fine dining, we are casual dining. Our desserts are made in house – Tiramisu, Italian Ricotta cheesecake, cannoli, and fresh-baked brownies.”
In addition to offering sit down casual dining, Candela also offers catering, delivery, take out and off-premise events.
The Candela family maintains a strong overall commitment to the community. They support the local high school sports teams, the Rider University sports teams, and the training meals for the team competing against Rider University.
As alumni of St. Ann School, the brothers were also pleased to get back to providing pizzas on a weekly basis for the school’s pizza day. The school changed pizza providers for a year, but the students spoke out and asked the school to bring back Candela’s. The students won.
“My best advertising is my customers,” Frank Candela said.
Candela Pizzeria and Ristorante is located at 22 Lawn Park Ave. in Lawrenceville (near Rider University). Hours are: Monday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–10:30 p.m., Sunday, noon–9:30 p.m. Phone: (609) 882-9119. On the Web: candelapizza.com.
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